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Chaliced Commissariat
“They have nothing to fear---unless they have something to fear.” — Common saying amongst the Chaliced Commissariat Those who move close to those circles of power at the Lucid Palace on Scintilla, or with enough resource to pay to hear the talk of the court, know that Lord Sector Marius Hax is a savagely ambitious and paranoid figure. He despises rebels with a malice and a hatred that borders on outright madness. His determination to maintain the glorious and obedient dominion of the Emperor in the Calixis Sector---under his name of course---is worth to him any bloodshed or terror. As a man, subtle and clever, as well as brutal, since attaining his high rank, he has forged many tools to tighten his control over the sector and some have been more successful than others. One of those tools, whose success has been mixed, is the Chaliced Commissariat. This special military unit is a direct political and military extension of the Lord Sector’s will and was created to maintain direct control over locally raised regiments and PDF forces within the Calixis Sector. Feared and hated in equal measure across the sector, the mere sight of the laurel-wreathed chalice badge and deep red rank insignia are enough cause for a defense trooper to blanch and consider whether their life has come to an end. Though Hax can see many ways in which rebellion might occur in his domain, what most concerns him is corruption among local PDF units, or worse an organized and armed secession on the part of a local planetary government, supported by its planetary defense force. The Imperium’s history is littered with such revolts and Hax is not willing to let the Imperial governance in Calixis, or his personal reputation, be muddied by such occurrences. To this end, he commissioned the raising of a special military formation, modelled on the Imperial Commissariat that would draw suitable recruits from across the sector, selected for their loyalty, ambition and willingness to use any means necessary to ensure order. They would be charged with maintaining the morale and loyalty of PDF units across the sector, rooting out criminality and corruption, and ensuring that whatever local loyalties might exist, fear would override them if need be. Such “internal security commissariats” are far from unknown in the Imperium, particularly on larger hive worlds where the PDF may maintain potentially millions of men at arms, but the powers, remit and sheer brutality of Hax’s force is certainly unusual, and has caused controversy and dispute among the sector’s powerful elites. Lord Marshal Gorman of the Adeptus Arbites has made no secret of his dislike for Hax’s “specially selected scum”, seeing them as bordering on being an unlawful agency, and therefore one step away from an instrument of rebellion themselves. The powers of the Malfian sub-sector and the notoriously independent Fenksworld always managed to keep their own PDF forces largely free of involvement through means both fair and foul. The greatest conflict, however, has come from the true Commissariat, the arm of the Adeptus Munitorium charged with maintaining morale and order in the Imperial Guard, and whose contempt for the Chaliced forces has never been disguised. This dislike blossomed into open conflict during the Tranch Uprising when a Chaliced Commissariat unit executed an Imperial Guard detachment that retreated from their post. The senior Imperial Commissar in-theatre decreed that the Chaliced Commissariat had no authority over Imperial Guard units, and in executing the “deserters”, they had committed traitorous mass-murder against the Emperor’s lawful forces. On the basis of this judgment, he had every member of the Chaliced Commissariat on Tranch shot. Since the affair on Tranch, the true Commissariat have kept the Chaliced forces from operating in active war zones to any extent---much to Hax’s displeasure. To avoid further embarrassment, the Chaliced Commissariat has confined itself largely to operations within the garrisons of the Calixis Sector’s core worlds and lending themselves to “policing actions” against Hax’s political enemies or brutal crackdowns at the slightest provocation. It is not unknown for a PDF base to be isolated, its officers interrogated and executed and all lower ranks to be shipped off to the Ghostfire-fuelled penal legions on the basis of the merest rumor of sedition. 'Alternate Career Rank' Members of the Chaliced Commissariat are not only soldiers, but ruthless figures of authority and fear within the Calixis Sector, particular on the core worlds surrounding Scintilla. This alone may make the recruitment of a member of the Commissariat attractive to an Inquisitor in need of a ruthless military-trained Acolyte. Members of the Commissariat also move freely around the sector in the execution of their duties and have access to intelligence sources regarding political and military matters, making them excellently placed to act as hidden agents of the Ordos Calixis. Equally, having an Acolyte placed within an extension of Hax’s power base may also suit an Inquisitor who suspects the Chaliced Commissariat and those in the Lord Sector’s inner circle. Required Career: Guardsman Alternate Rank: Rank 3 or higher (1,000 XP) Special: A character who becomes part of the Chaliced Commissariat automatically gains the Feared and Loathed trait: Members of the Chaliced Commissariat act with a brutal autonomy thanks to the indulgence of Lord Sector Hax. Their elimination of seditious elements within PDF units and pitiless reputation means that members of PDF units or Imperial Guard units raised within Calixis respond with fear and deep-seated loathing to a member of the Chaliced Commissariat. As a member of this organisation, you gain a +10 bonus on Inquiry and Intimidate Tests when used against members of the Imperial Guard or PDF. You take a –10 penalty, however, when Testing Charm or Command on the same groups. Note: This Trait depends as much on the uniform, manner and bearing as anything else, and if the character is otherwise dressed, unrecognized or disguised its effects do not apply.